Hallelujah
by Rhyianna Merquise
Summary: Six months after the fire and Sydney's death, she's released and stumbles back into Vaughn's arms. (S3, AU)


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Hallelujah

Summary: A different take on Season Three. AU, how it should have been.

Rating: PG-13

AN: Because this idea hit me last night. And I have been dying to set a story to this song. It just screams "Alias" at me. The best version is by Rufus Wainwright (IMHO), however, Jeff Buckley also does a masterful rendition of it.

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I've heard there was a secret chord

That David played and it pleased the Lord

But you don't really care for music, do you?

It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth

The minor falls, the major lift

The baffled king composing hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Eric Weiss was not having the best day. It was probably one of the hardest things to do – watch your best friend slowly die and not be able to do anything about it. Because Vaughn _was_ dying, if not in the conventional way. Ever since that night…

Weiss tried to push those thoughts away, but unbidden, they surfaced in flashes. The phone call he got from Vaughn. The drive over to Sydney's. The fire. The body bag. And Vaughn, just sitting, not caring that the spray from the fire hoses was soaking him. The look his best friend gave him. _Okay, this is not going to cheer you up…_Weiss shook his head. _Not good, buddy. How are you going to help Mike out when this is all you can think about?_

It was true; Weiss had been so wrapped up in Sydney's case file that he was forgetting about everything else. Which was precisely the reason he was headed to the parking garage, in pursuit of files that he needed for his actual caseload.

Weiss winked at a (rather pretty) agent he vaguely recognized as he turned the corner to the door. She smiled.

"Hey, Agent Weiss," she said. Weiss's confidence began to inflate. "Be careful out there, some homeless person's found their way into the parking garage again."

He shook his head. For being in such a 'covert' location, quite a few homeless people had actually managed to get into the garage.

"Thanks for the warning," he said, giving her what he thought was a dashing smile before pushing open the door.

As soon as he entered the garage, he could see the 'intruder'. Weiss considered. Definitely a female, tall, dark hair… there was something eerily familiar about this figure's movements. Then she turned toward him. For an instant, Weiss thought he was seeing things. _She's dead… as much as we've been looking into it, she's dead…Maybe…Ohmygod…_

Sydney Bristow was running towards him, sobbing hysterically.

"Eric..oh, God, please…Eric!"

Weiss caught her in his arms, stunned beyond any words or thoughts. Alive, she was alive. He had to do something, but he wasn't sure what… _How the fuck am I supposed to know what to do here? Not like there's protocol I'm supposed to follow…_

He was forced into action a moment later when security showed up, no doubt to handle the disturbance of another homeless person. Only this time…

"Is there a problem here, Agent Weiss?"

Suddenly, Weiss knew what had to be done first.

"Go get Michael Vaughn. Right. Now."

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Your faith was strong but you needed proof

You saw her bathing on the roof

Her beauty in the moonlight overthrew you

She tied you to a kitchen chair

She broke your throne, she cut your hair

And from your lips she drew the hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Vaughn stared at his computer screen absently. Six months. It had been six months _to the day_ of her disappearance. He refused to say death. Maybe, maybe somewhere…. Although he was beginning to give up hope. It had been too damn long…

He let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding and pushed himself back from his desk. A moment later, a security guard was at his elbow. _What the hell?_

"Agent Vaughn?"

"Yes…" he said cautiously.

"Agent Weiss told me to bring you to the parking lot. He said it was an absolute emergency."

Vaughn's brow furrowed, but he turned on his heel and walked quickly out. _What in the hell is in the parking lot that is an emergency? _He reached the door and pushed it open.

Then he froze. _Jesus Holy Christ._ Numbness and disbelief were quietly seeping through his body.

Weiss had heard him stop. Looking up, he met Vaughn's eyes that were full of shock and hope and disbelief. Then they closed and Weiss saw his shoulders shake once.

Vaughn didn't know how she knew he was there, but she did. He opened his eyes and saw her look up at him. Their gazes met and in an instant, she had flung herself into his arms.

The moment she touched him, the numbness vanished and there was only Sydney, clinging to him as if she were drowning, sobbing hysterically. His arms went around her and the world fell away, if just for a little bit.

By the time the tears stopped, Weiss was gone, presumably to get Dixon or Kendall.

Vaughn stepped back from Sydney and studied her face. Beaten, a gash that wasn't fully healed on her temple, a cut lip, scratches and bruises. He stepped back further. She was skinny, way, way too skinny, filthy, abused and terrified. His breath caught in his chest.

"Syd…" Her name slipped from his lips before he reached for her again. Her voice became muffled against his chest.

"Oh, my God, Vaughn… oh, my God… " The tears began again.

Weiss reappeared then, leading a nonplussed Dixon and Kendall, who swore violently upon entering the garage.

Sydney looked up, furiously wiping her tears.

Kendall opened his mouth. "We need to talk."

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Maybe I've been here before

I know this room, I've walked this floor

I used to live alone before I knew you

I've seen your flag on the marble arch

Love is not a victory mach

It's a cold and it's a broken hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Two hours later, Vaughn walked out of Kendall's office, his head in his hands. _Holy shit._ Sydney was still in debrief, though not for much longer.

Sydney.

She had no idea where she had been held, who was holding her or what they wanted. She revealed that she had been abused, starved, kept in the dark and beaten regularly. _His _Sydney.

But then, they had let her go. It made no sense. Not one bit.

Vaughn felt a hand on his should and turned. Weiss.

"You okay, Mike?"

__

What kind of question is that? Am I okay?

"She's back, Eric." Vaughn thought that was a good enough answer. Apparently Weiss did, too.

"I assume she's going home with you?"

"Yeah… at least until Jack gets back from Moscow."

Weiss smiled, looking over Vaughn's shoulder. "I won't keep you then."

Vaughn spun on his heel. Sydney was making her way towards him. He reached for her hand.

"Let's go."

She smiled at him for the first time in six months. And for the first time in six months, he smiled back.

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There was a time when you let me know

What's real and going on below

But now you never show it to me, do you?

And remember when I moved in you

The Holy Dark was moving too

And every breath we drew was hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Fifteen minutes after leaving the CIA, Vaughn pulled open the door to his apartment and the two of them stepped inside.

"Vaughn?"

He paused in the act of flipping on lights.

"I'd kill for a bath."

He nodded. "You need some clothes, too."

It was her turn to nod. Vaughn led her to his room where he began digging for the clothes she had left behind six months ago that he couldn't bring himself to throw away. She settled for a pair of gym shorts and one of his T-shirts. The normalcy of this was somewhat bizarre to him.

The bathroom next. He dug out clean towels and the bubble bath she had left then stood up to leave but she grabbed his hand.

"Stay with me?" There was desperation in her eyes.

"As long as you want me to, Syd." Her grip relaxed.

She looked in the mirror. "God, I am filthy."

She made a face before turning on the taps. After getting the temperature to her liking, she stuck her head under the faucet. Her hands reached to wash it, but he beat her to it.

"Let me," he murmured into her ear.

Sydney began to relax for the first time in six months as Vaughn ran his fingers through her now clean hair. She pulled away enough to start her bath and add the bubbles before resting her head on his shoulder.

They stayed like that until she insisted on getting into the tub. The first thing he noticed was her ribs sticking out too far. And then the bruises. She seemed to shy under his gaze, however, and slid into the hot water.

The moment she was completely submerged, she let out a happy sigh and closed her eyes. She looked so happy… couldn't help himself. He leaned forward and kissed her. She started and splashed water all over him. When she apologized, he just laughed and kissed her again.

An hour later, the water had gone cold and Sydney pulled the plug and stood up. Vaughn wrapped a towel around her and pulled her close. They had done this so many times before.

When she was dry and had slid into her clothes, he took her face into his hands and kissed her like he had wanted to do for so long. She responded how she always had and rested her hands on top of his.

She pulled back in a moment and smiled at him. "Let's go to sleep."

He smiled back before taking her hand and leading her to bed.

__

Maybe there's a God above

And all I ever learned from love

Was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you

And it's not a cry you can hear at night

It's not somebody who's seen the light

It's cold and it's a broken hallelujah

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

When they both slid into his bed, it was like they were waking up from some horrible nightmare where they didn't have each other. While there was still _so much_ they had to say to each other, it was enough for now just to be like this.

Sydney laid on her side and Vaughn curled up behind her, like he always did, and put his arms around her. She laced her fingers with his and smiled.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he whispered, like he had done so many months before.

She said the same thing she had then. "Not particularly."

He accepted that with silence. They would get there. Someday she would tell him. And someday he would tell her what had happened to him when she died. And how he died too. But for right now, they were together.

And it was all that mattered.

__

Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah…


End file.
